Car door



A ug. 24, 1948. F. DrrcHFlr-:LD

CAR DOOR Filed Sept. 25, 1944 ...,qTy..

controls the door opening III.)

Patented Aug. 24, 1948 S PATENT OFFICE CAR DOOR Frank Ditchlield, Cleveland, Ohio, assigner to The Youngstown Steel Door Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application September 25, 1944, Serial No. 555,684

4 claims. (ci. en -22) v 'A Y'Ihis invention relates tocar doors. l

. It is the main object of this invention to provvide' a construction for the lower portions of Asliding car doorswhich shall eliminate the entry of direct and yreflected light and prevent snow, rainy dust, cinders and the likef-rom being forced upwardly into the cars through the door openings therein. v

vA further object is to provide a construction for the lower portions of sliding lift car doors which shall eliminate the entry of direct and reflected light and prevent snow, rain, dust, cinders and the like from beingforced upwardly into the cars throughthe door openings therein vwithout interferingwith the lifting and 'opening and'closing movements of the doors.

Other objects of the invention will become clear as the description thereof proceeds.

In the drawings forming partof this specification: y n v o Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevation yof a sliding lift door utilizing the instant invention, the door be- 4ing'shown in lowered positionand the llftimechanism therefor being omitted for the sake of clarity.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on line 2`2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 2, the door being shown in raised position.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken online 44 einig-*1. j

Referring to the drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the Vinvention is illustrated, the numeral I0 designatesthe side sill of a railway housecar. The side sill is reinforced as more clearly shown in Figs. 2 'and 3 of the drawings by means of a bulb angle II. Front and rear door posts I2 and I3 are secured to the side sill I0 and denne the width of a door opening I4 formed in each wall of the car. A front door stop I5 is secured to the front door post I2. A post protection angle I6 to which a. spark strip I1 is secured as more clearly shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings,` is fastened to the rear door post I3.

A door track I8 is secured below the door `opening I4 to the side sill reinforcement II by means of a plurality of track brackets I9. 'The door track I8is adapted to support a door 20 which The door 20 may be of any desired construction but as illustrated it is formed of metal and embodies a metallic panel 2| formed with a plurality of horizontal corrugations, one of which is indicated at 22. The margins of the metallic panel 2l are suitably reinforced as is well known to the metallic panel by in the art. The reinforcement for the upper margin of the panel is not shown. The reinforcement for the front vertical margin is indicated generally at 23. The reinforcement for the rear vertical margin of the panel is illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings `and takes the form of a substantially W-shaped plate 24 to one flange of which a sealing strip 25 is fastened. The sealing strip cooperates with the spark strip I'I to` provide a seal for the Vrear vertical margin of the door.

The lower horizontal margin of the metallic panel is reinforced by means of a T-shaped member-26 whichis preferably arrolled structural shape.` The reinforcing member 26 is secured disposing one flange 21 thereof between the metallic panel and a reinforcing backing plate 28 therefor and securing said flange in such position as by means of rivets 29. The stem 30 of the T-shaped reinforcing member 2B extends outwardly and the remaining flange 3| lof said member extends downwardly. As more clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the outwardly extending stem 30 of the reinforcing member 26 is utilized to establish frictional support of the door upon the track I8 when the door is in lowered position and in cooperation wlththe track to prevent foreign matter from being blown into the car through the door opening from the outside of the door. Moreover, the depending flange 3| of the T-shaped reinforcing member 26' lies behind the track I8 and cooperates therewithl both in the lowered and raised positions of the door to prevent accidental disengagementof the door from the track. The depending flang'eLBI also is utilized in cooperation rwith va threshold plate 32.to further preclude'theentry of foreign matter into the car and to prevent the entry of direct and reflected light without in any 'way interfering with the raising or'opening and closing. movements of the door.

As clearly appears in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, the threshold plate lies flatwise'upon the floor 33 of the car land is conventionally fastened thereto and to the side sill and side sill reinforcement by means of bolts (not shown).

`Thetl'ireshold plate projects outwardly beyond 31. Angle clips 38 are secured to the threshold plate flange 31 as by means of welding and are disposed in abutment with the underside of the supporting angle 35 in order to retain the threshold plate against upward movement. The forward ange 31 of the threshold plate terminates in an outwardly projecting angeor lip 39 which extends across and beyond the flange 3| of the T-shaped door reinforcing member 26 and lies adjacent to the lower edge of the flange 3| when the door is in lowered position. This relationship between the flange 3| of the reinforcing member 26 and the outwardly projecting lip 39 of the threshold plate effectively prevents direct and reflected light from entering the car 'and provides an effective baflie for preventing foreign matter from being blown upwardly finto 'the `oar between the door and the depending vertical flange 31 of the threshold plate. With reference to Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, it will be apparent lthat while the stated pur-poses are obltained by `means of the construction `hereinabove described, ylift-ing and opening rand closing -move- 'ments of the door are in fnowise interfered with. Theeiectiveness of the hereinabove described relationship between the thresholdplate and the 'T-shaped door reinforcing meniber is enhanced b y Vthe Iextensi'or'i fof the lip T39 on zthe threshold 'plate forwardly and vrearwardly of the door posts IIZand '|"3 :as indicated at4`0 'and il in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The forward extension 40 of the lip -'39 terminates at the front stop |55 and the rearward extension-4"| of the flip 39 terminates substantially in lline with 'the outeredge'ofthe-sparkistrip |1. n Thedoor 'is shownin itsflo'wered position when it is -fric'tionally supported by the track I8 in Fig. 2 of 'thedrawings In Fig. 3 of the drawings the 'dooris illustrated after 'it has tbeen raised so that it is in position for 'openin'gj'or closing movement. In order to raise 'and supportvth'e door for movement upon 'the track IB the "lift mechanism illus- 'trated 'in applicants ico-'pending application jSerial No. 465,233, lled INovember A1'1, 17942, A(now Patent No. 2,415,781, granted yFebruary '121, 1947*) may be utilized, orwh'erellift -mechanism'secured "to the lower.portion of the dooris preferred, l"the 'lift mechanism illustrated in the patent It'o Ma'dland i'2,027,242, granted January 7,y 1'936, Imay -be employed.

This application is a 'division of applicants vcopending applicationl above identified.

It will beapparent that numerous changes Vand modifications in thje details 'of fthe invention will b'e clear'to those 'skillediinth'e art. Itis "intended, thereforejtnat 'all suchl modifications and changes be comprehended 'within .this invention, which is to belimitfed only 'by vthe scopeof 'the claims appended hereto. While the instant invention is .illustrated and -"described in connection with a lift door, it is apparent thatis may also 'be utilized inconnec'tio'n with straight sliding doors.

I claim:

"1. In a railway house car having'a door open- -ing ina wall thereof .and -a floor, atrack secured t'o said carbelow said door opening, a Adoor's1i:l'ab ly '-m'ouh'ted on said track, 'the lower Vportion of lsaid door'l'yingbe'hind said`trac`k,and a'thjres'hold plate `secured to said 'fio'or in said .door ,openingsaid threshold plate having affian'gfe extending downwardly below said door opening in 'outwardly spaced relation to said oor and contiguous to the inner face of said door when the latter is closed and a lip extending outwardly from said iiange, said lip extending across and adjacent to the lower edge of said door when the door is closed, for the purpose set forth.

2. In a railway house car having a door opening V`in a wall thereof and a floor, a trac'ksecured to said car below said door opening, a door slidably mounted on said track,`the lower portion of said door lying behind said track, and a threshold plate secured to said floor in said door opening, said threshold plate having a ange extending downwardlybelowxsaid door opening in outwardly 'spaced relation to said oor and contiguous to the inner face of said door when the latter is closed and a 'lip extending Voutwardly from said ange,

said .lip extending forwardly and rearwardly of said door opening and across and adjacent to the lower edge of said door when the door is closed, for the purpose setv forth.

3. In arrail-way house ycar having a door'opening in a ywall thereof and a iioor, a track secured 'to said car l'below-said door opening, a ilift door slidabl'y mounted -on said track, lthe lower portion 4of saiddoor lying behindsaid 'trackya-nd 'a thresh old plate secured to said Affloonin vsa-id door-opening, said threshold plate having a, flange extend- 'ing 'downwardly ibelow said -door lopen-ing inoutwardly spaced relation to said floor `and contiguous to the inner faceof said 'door Whenthe latter is 'closed and a lip extendingjoutwardly 4'from sa'id flange, 'said lip extending 'across 'and adjacent. to the 'lower edge .of said door Awhen 'the 'door 'is i closed, said Idoor being adaptedfto be `raised 'for opening and closing movements so 'that the .lower edge thereof lies Aa 'substantial .distanc'eabove said lip whereby said vlip does not interfere with said movements of said door.

4. In a railway. house car having a door'jopening in a wall thereof and ao'or, 1a track secured to said-car, belowsaid door opening Ain spaced'relationsh'ip to sa'id car,v a doorslidably'mountedon said track, the 'lower portion of said door .lying behind, said track, anda threshold plate .secured to said oor in said door opening, said 'threshold .plate having .a flange extending downwardly f below said dooropeningin outwardly spaced relaytion tosaid fioonand .contiguous to the linnerface of said door when the latter is closed andfa lip-ex ltendingoutwardly .from vsaid flange, said llip :extending -across and ladjacent vto the lower. edgeof `said'door when -the door is-closed, for rthe .purpose set-forth.

FRANK BITCH-FIELD.

'REFERENCES .'CI'LED `Eline following lreierences ,arse 'of y.record.iinithe 'file of-lthi's paterit:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

